Football Blog (Page 179)

[ad_1] England have confirmed they will not wear the One Love armband at the World Cup in Qatar after facing pressure from FIFA abandon their plans. The armbands do not directly reference Qatar’s anti-LGBT laws but were designed in protest of any forms of homophobia – being homosexual is against the law in Qatar. England were among seven nations to express a desire to wear the armband, even with FIFA threatening punishments, but the FA have now confirmed they will not be wearing it this winter. “FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on theRead More →

[ad_1] Puebla has appointed Eduardo Arce as the new head coach, ahead of the 2023 Liga MX Clausura.  Arce replaces Nicolas Larcamon, who announced his shocking resignation in early November after two years with the club. The former manager explained Puebla needed to be led by ‘someone with renewed energy, with maximum motivation.’ Arce will now take over La Franja, stepping into the role after serving as Larcamon’s technical assistance since the 2021 Clausura. He also previously led Puebla’s Under-17 team to a trophy, establishing himself as a crucial part of the institution.  “These colors have been part of my life for years. I haveRead More →

[ad_1] The World Cup is now officially underway, but Portugal’s tournament has already been unnecessarily noisy in the week before they’ve even kicked off. A certain Cristiano Ronaldo has put all eyes on his camp. Not just because it’s his last World Cup with his nation, but because of his shocking sit-down interview with Piers Morgan that released a week before Portugal take to the field in Qatar. But with that out of the way and Manchester United likely having changed all of the locks on the doors at Carrington while Ronaldo is gone, Portugal must get their heads down and focus on matchday oneRead More →

[ad_1] Senegal have confirmed Sadio Mane has been replaced by Anderlecht’s Moussa N’Diaye in their World Cup squad. Mane was forced to withdraw from the tournament after suffering a leg injury in Bayern Munich’s final game before the World Cup break and has since undergone surgery to correct the issue. The 30-year-old is undoubtedly the nation’s talisman and had been called up to Qatar despite doubts over his fitness as a result, but failed to recover in time to feature at the tournament. Anderlecht confirmed in a statement posted to their website that 20-year-old N’Diaye had been called up to the squad as Mane’s replacementRead More →

[ad_1] Switzerland’s bid to escape Group G at the 2022 World Cup begins against Cameroon on Thursday. The two square off in the day’s early game – to be played in the heat of the day – so will know that victory will temporarily put them top off a group that also contains pre-tournament favourites Brazil and Serbia. The Swiss were in good touch in qualifying, though usually struggle to translate that form into the tournament itself, while Cameroon’s place in Qatar was sealed by the away goals rule following a 2-2 aggregate play-off draw with Algeria. Here’s how to watch their Group G clashRead More →

[ad_1] Emma Hayes has called for women’s football to be more ambitious with regard to ticket prices and the number of games hosted at clubs’ main stadiums following Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. First half goals from Sam Kerr, Erin Cuthbert and Guro Reiten saw the Blues three points in front of 38,350 fans. Chelsea frequently sell out their 4,850 capacity Kingsmeadow home, but Sunday’s match was the first WSL fixture hosted at the Bridge since the opening day of the 2019/20 season. “I’d like to be here more,” Hayes admitted. “I think we all know that solving the conundrumRead More →

[ad_1] Uruguay and South Korea go head to head in the opening game of Group H at the World Cup, with both sides looking to improve their fortunes from the last competition. La Celeste reached the quarter-finals in 2018, while South Korea went out of the competition at the group stage for the second World Cup in a row. With Portugal and Ghana making up the rest of a tough group, both of these sides will be desperate to start off with a win and boost their chances of progressing to the knockout phase. Here’s how to watch their Group H clash on TV andRead More →

[ad_1] Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he left Borussia Dortmund prematurely in order to help the club land his successor, Thomas Tuchel. The current Liverpool manager shot to prominence in Germany for his time with Dortmund, but announced he would leave the club at the end of the 2014/15 season, ahead of his departure. He was then replaced by Tuchel for the following campaign and would eventually head to Merseyside to take the reigns at Anfield in October 2015, where he has since guided the club to a Champions League crown and their first ever Premier League title. Speaking to German outlet WDR, Klopp explainedRead More →

[ad_1] The World Cup favourites and one of the most highly fancied dark horses go head to head in their opening match in Qatar with Brazil taking on Serbia. As is often the case, Brazil head into the tournament as the bookies’ top picks, being in excellent form and boasting an extremely strong squad that is expected to breeze through Group G. Their first match won’t be an easy one, though, with Serbia’s class of 2022 being their best in a long time in regard to talent. Here’s everything you need to know about matchday one’s final fixture. Unlike so many nations, Brazil aren’t dealingRead More →

[ad_1] Belgium will be without star striker Romelu Lukaku for at least the first two games of their World Cup campaign, with the forward carrying a knock. The 29-year-old has been struggling for fitness ever since returning to Inter on loan from Chelsea in the summer and has been restricted to just five appearances all season. Roberto Martinez still saw fit to include Lukaku in his squad for the competition, but will now be forced to rely on the likes of Dries Mertens or Michy Batshuayi up front for the Red Devils’ crucial Group F games against Canada and Morocco. Another option would be toRead More →